On the 26th of November, as part of the 16 Days to End Gender-Based violence, RISE walked alongside community groups and survivors to reclaim the night.
We are calling for action to keep women safe from abuse on our streets and to act now to prevent this and to pursue those perpetrating abuse.
Hundreds of people marched on Friday night in Brighton for #reclaimthenight. RISE held two workshops alongside survivors where we made banners asking for an end to abuse. We walked with Survivors’ Network and other local people and community groups to demand safety, an end to misogyny, and an end to gender-based violence.
Amongst other recent events RISE was motivated to march this year by some of the public victim-blaming of murder victims.
Anita Johal, RISE Communities Rising Project Manager says,
“When we hear of a councillor (not from our area) responding to the murder of Bobbi-Anne Mcleod with the comment that, 'everybody has a responsibility not to try to put themselves in a compromising position,' we know the struggle is far from over. The RISE Communities Rising project will build and consolidate social activism to continue the struggle and make change happen.”
The marchers were delighted to see and hear support from communities including people in buses, in cars and walking the streets who fist pumped and cheered them on. Domestic abuse is, indeed, everyone's business.
Reclaim the Night came to the UK over 40 years ago. In 1977 women in Leeds took to the streets to protest the police requesting women to stay at home after dark in response to the murders of 13 women by (now deceased) Peter Sutcliffe. Placards read “No curfew on women – curfew on men”.
Marches spread across the country in the following years and have seen a resurgence recently due to high-profile female murder cases. ‘Reclaim the Streets’ or ‘Reclaim These Streets’ are two of the alternative names sometimes used, and in Brighton and Hove the march is seen as an alternative to the larger London march.
RISE has been marching for street and home-based safety for women, children, and LGBT+ people for almost 30 years.
Join RISE for our 16 days of activism. Go here for more information.
Our program of events so far includes:
If you need support or to talk to someone go here to speak to RISE or to the following organisations:
